(WXYZ) — The Michigan Department of Transportation said more than 100 bridges are at risk of closing by 2035 if they aren't rebuilt and funding isn't passed by the state legislature.
In a press release sent out Monday, the department said about 2/3 of MDOT's bridge inventory has "far exceeded its original design life.
"MDOT now faces the possibility of more than 100 trunkline bridges closing to traffic by the year 2035, impacting approximately 1.8 million drivers daily, if a comprehensive transportation funding package isn't secured," the release said.
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"At this rate, by decade's end, nearly 50 percent of state routes, which carry 53 percent of total traffic and 80 percent of commercial traffic, will be in poor condition," said MDOT Director Bradley C. Wieferich. "Without additional investment, those projections will get worse."
The reason for the decline, according to MDOT, is that most of the state's bridges were built in the 1950s and designed with a 50-60-year service life.
